


Jetlag

by undenanable



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Football | Soccer, Guanlin is a basketball player, Lucas Striker, M/M, Park Jihoon Midfielder, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 15:38:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15537420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undenanable/pseuds/undenanable
Summary: Park Jihoon is a football superstar who leaves his heart to a boy reaching for his dreams as well.





	Jetlag

**Author's Note:**

> Watching the FIFA world cup and plays from really cool midfielders inspired me to write this. I wanted to add Lucas in the mix too. So yeah, enjoy!

The drizzle made the pitch way too damp for some players, making the mud stick on the spaces between their spikes. Jihoon had just performed six assists in the first half of the game but none of his teammates managed to get the ball through the keeper or inside the goal. Their supporters had lost momentum, both teams having nil on their scoreboards. Once deemed as the boy wonder in his first stint at the European league, now Park Jihoon was a dull star after a supposed wrong choice of team. His critics had repeated again and again how his choice of joining the premier league had rusted his career, steering it away into oblivion.

 

But he made a promise to himself that it wasn’t going to be that way.

 

Months of games, trying to get his up on the ladder board, Jihoon had been getting back up again and again, only to be tripped over by desperate dirtbags who thought he was a threat. Over the course of the league, people still thought that he wasn’t good enough given his statistics of 52 assists in eighteen matches. Coaches and other sports journalists alike had been repeating on paper how he wasn’t doing his job well as an attacking midfielder, painting him as some curse when he had scored 3 of his team’s league goals. It didn’t make sense, but it was true that he had given up his position at his old team’s golden age to try a new challenge at English football. Maybe the results weren’t the same as his previous path, but then, it was another chance to prove people wrong.

 

At halftime, their manager discusses their team’s new strategy, explaining the new position in his thick Spanish accent. He then asks, “Park, got any suggestions?”

 

The coach respected Jihoon’s opinion on gameplay, saying he acknowledged the boy’s eye on the field. Jihoon was their team’s playmaker, the people on his starting lineup were strong players who were new additions to the club but already had big reputations to their name. It’s only been a couple of months since he played with some of the guys, so it was still hard to build chemistry and trust. They were good, that was for sure, but they still weren’t that much of a team.

 

“Let Lucas in,” Jihoon said.

 

The players who had been chugging on water almost choked when they heard what Jihoon said. “What?” some of them protested. Lucas was a new addition to their club, he had been benching for all of their matches but was branded as one up and coming star in German football. He and Jihoon had been practicing for a while. The boy kept pestering how he wanted to practice with Madrid’s Asian magician to which Jihoon accepted in amusement. Lucas had the skill, that was a known fact, given his statistics in the Bundesliga, scoring half of his team’s winning goals. People at Old Trafford gave a chance on him, thinking they could ripen his skills to fruition. But six months into his signing, critics had also been hard on him, saying he was only bench warming for his teammates, making no appearances in this league at all.

 

“Lucas is good, we’ve been practicing,” Jihoon said.

 

“But Park,” Adrian, their goalkeeper, complained, “this is our last shot for the quarterfinals. If we lose this match or keep this match to a nil, we’re never going to quarters!”

 

“I’m betting my career on Lucas,” Jihoon declared, leaving the room silent at his decision. It was a gamble he was willing to take. He had been training with Lucas for months, knowing that the boy was more than ready for the big leagues.

 

“Jihoon, are you sure?” Lucas asked amidst the silence in the room. Jihoon remembered how the boy was so enthusiastic to finally play for his dream team. The gleam in his eyes when he was presented with his uniform; the smile on his face when he wore his red jersey with pride.

 

“You don’t want to?” Jihoon trusted Lucas. Maybe it was due to the close bond they built over the few months they were together. He knew that Lucas would be people who they would least expect to shine on the pitch. Not yet anyway. If Lucas were to prove everyone in the stadium wrong somehow, it would change the team’s momentum - that would be the best case scenario anyway. If not, both of them would be going home, with Jihoon leaving his dream behind.

 

When all was left said and done, the team finally makes their way back, the coach deciding to take Jihoon’s gamble and put Lucas in the lineup for the second half. The ultimatum was that he was to score within the first twenty minutes of the game. If the boy failed, Lucas was to be sent back to the bench and Jihoon would be sent packing. Before everyone starts positioning themselves on the pitch, Lucas stays close to Jihoon, feeling nervous about his first appearance on the league wearing the uniform of his dream club. “Jihoon, this is really happening,” he says. “What if I fail? You put your career on the line, you idiot. What happens if I can’t score anything within the first twenty minutes?”

 

“Then, I’ll have to go back to Korea. Probably do my parents’ bidding and apply for Seoul University. Not that much of a big deal,” Lucas found Jihoon’s confidence in his plan both quite amazing and scary at the same time. Lucas heaves a heavy sigh, trying to get the pressure off with every exhale. “You’re going to do well, Xuxi,” Jihoon tells him. “Trust me.”

 

Lucas gives Jihoon one last meaningful look before he goes to his position on the middle of the pitch. It was their ball this time. Once the sound of the starting horn fills the air, Lucas starts passing it to his teammate next to him and runs forward toward the goal. The ball was now passed to Jihoon which he swiftly dribbles and tosses passed the defenders that blocked his way. Jihoon was quick, years of sprint practice led him to his powerful speed. Two more adversaries tried to stick close to him, taking their chances in tackling the ball away from him. He had also practiced the art of dodging dirty tactics. Noticing a leg outstretched toward the direction of his right foot, he steers the ball a few centimeters away with his left outside foot, leaving the defender lying on the ground, faking an injury to which the referee ignored. Each glance he took, he sought for an opening where he could pass to his teammate.

 

He finds Billy, one of the right wingers, a meter behind the opponent. Jihoon kicks the ball with his inside foot, passing it in between another opponent’s legs and toward his teammate. He moves as fast as he could, already reaching inside the penalty box. “Park!” He hears someone call out his name. By then, he sees Lucas in his periphery, free from any defender and close to the goal post. The ball that was passed to Jihoon was a mid kick to which he chips the ball with his heel, cleanly passing it to Lucas who ended it with a curve lined strike in the upper corner of the net. Everyone in the pitch was stunned, unable to believe that the newcomer scored a goal just a few minutes before he was brought in. But afterward, everyone celebrated after realizing that they finally added a point to the nil scoreboard. Their part of the stadium went crazy and Lucas ran to the side of the field to perform his celebration. Their supporters went wild and even their manager was on his feet with an ecstatic look on his face.

 

“Can you believe it ladies and gentlemen?” the announcer says, “Lucas Wong has scored his first league goal just a few minutes before his first appearance! That has got to be a record!”

 

They finished with a two-nil victory, the second goal done by Jihoon himself. Their team was now going to the quarter finals with the other team in their bracket who was vying for the second place for the quarters as well failing to score in their game. Headlines started talking about how Jihoon’s assists were a crucial part of their team’s gameplay and if they keep it up, it was high time that they would rise from the depths of their defeats. The tabloids also spoke about Lucas who came from warming his team’s bench to a diamond in the rough, proving himself worthy of playing English football under a big club.

 

The next few weeks after the game was one rigorous training after another, preparing for their rivalry game at Stamford Bridge. Jihoon and Lucas would stay late after practice to polish up their passes and Jihoon would teach his friend a few tricks or two. There were still a few critics that named Lucas’s shot a fluke, but they worked hard to prove them wrong.

 

One Saturday night though, Jihoon decides to leave their late night after training early saying he had something to attend to at home. “Sorry Xuxi, I’ll make it up to you next practice, alright?” Jihoon apologizes.

 

“You’ve done more than enough, Jihoon. It’s fine,” Lucas told him. Somehow, the smile on his face knew what Jihoon was up to. He hated how his weakest point seemed to be making his emotions transparent to everyone.

 

“I’ll just stay here and finish up. I’m meeting someone here too anyway. Say hi to Eddy for me,” Lucas beams a smile before making his way back to one of the goal posts.

 

“Don’t play too hard, Xuxi,” Jihoon yells as he exits the stadium.

 

* * *

 

 

He arrives at his London flat greeted the by the concierge who informs him of the guest in his home. Jihoon nods in response and thanks the man. There was only one person, other than his family members, who had access to his suite. It was odd because even after all these years, there was still a giddy sort of feeling that surged within him whenever they would meet. Maybe it was due to their meetings being frequent that it was always a newfound excitement each time.

 

When he opens the door to his apartment, he is greeted by the delicious scent of spicy ramen and something else which he guessed was spicy chicken meat as well. He leaves his footwear outside his shoe rack and makes his way towards the living room to throw his duffel bag on the couch.

 

“Are you home, hyung?” the sound of his voice was the same as usual. They talked to each other only recently on the phone, usually when Jihoon was about to sleep and the boy was still heading to practice. The time difference between was a bit of stretch, a huge adjustment to their relationship, but they didn’t want it to hinder what they had.

 

“Yeah,” as Jihoon arrives in the kitchen, he wraps his arms around the tall boy’s body. His lanky figure was a lot more toned now, his back more firm rather than before. It was the result of his new training regimen, now that he was practicing to be a part of their country’s Olympic team. Soon enough, the boy was going to achieve his dream of playing it big in America’s basketball association.

 

“How was practice today?” he asks.

 

“It was fine,” Jihoon mumbles. “I missed you, Guanlin”

 

Lai Guanlin, the boy he met when his family moved to America, was now reaching for his dreams as well. Both of them had pledged that they would do whatever it takes to reach to the peak of their dreams, but also they agreed that along the way they would still find their way back to each other. Now, since Guanlin was given a few weeks off from his training, he decided to visit Jihoon in England. They kept their meetings secret with both Guanlin and Jihoon still not comfortable being open about what they shared. Rather than their actual skills, they knew the tabloids would rather have a field day about their personal life. And so, even their families were not aware that what they had was more than just a friendship and only a handful of friends knew.

 

There was a fond smile formed on Guanlin’s lips as he plants a kiss on top of Jihoon’s head. They still had their arms wrapped around each other, their bodies pressed against together. Jihoon missed the warmth that came with Guanlin, the feeling of home that he brought with him. “I missed you too, hyung,” Guanlin whispers.

 

They share a kiss in Jihoon’s kitchen, one that Jihoon always craves for whenever he thought of Guanlin. It had been months since he last held the boy in his arms like this. They had both been too busy to meet up with each other that they thanked modern technology for giving them the opportunity to talk. But then, sometimes it still just wasn’t enough. Jihoon wanted to hold Guanlin close, have him around more often just to get this kind of contact and let his comfortable presence settle in his abode.

 

“Congratulations on getting to the quarterfinals, by the way, Madrid’s Asian magician,” Guanlin giggles.

 

Jihoon rolls his eyes in response, “I don’t play in Madrid anymore, Guanlin. Can you please stop calling me that?”

 

“England’s magician then,” Guanlin corrects himself. “I’ll be here until Sunday. That means I can see your game on Saturday.”

 

Jihoon’s lower lip protrudes into a pout and his eyebrows meet on the center of his face. Guanlin laughed how he looked like a baby making such an expression, knowing full well as to why he was doing such. “You brought you Chelsea shirt with you, didn’t you?”

 

“I-” before he could continue, Jihoon pushes him away with a scowl.

 

“You asshole!” Jihoon exasperates. “Don’t even bother!”

 

Guanlin bursts out in laughter as Jihoon stalks out of the kitchen out of annoyance. It was no secret that Guanlin was a fan of their opponent for that Saturday’s match and maybe it was also his revenge on Jihoon for doing the same thing during his finals match at their under-17 league. “Hyung,” Guanlin whines as he takes Jihoon captive in his arms once more. “I was just kidding”

 

Jihoon knew he wasn’t. Knowing Guanlin and the kind of dynamic they had, he was just doing this to a peace him. “Well, I hope you can find Daniel’s flat ‘cause I’m kicking you out,” Jihoon spat.

 

Another wave of laughter left Guanlin’s lips and as much as Jihoon was annoyed, he loved hearing it. “I love you, Jihoon,” the taller boy whispers, making Jihoon weak. He had given Guanlin free reign to call him without formalities after they established their relationship, and maybe Jihoon enjoyed it a little too much in its rarity since Guanlin only uttered his name when they were alone together. It was unfair how beautifully it sounded when it slipped his lips; it was even more unfair the first few times it stumbled on it when Guanlin was still hesitant to drop the honorifics. At that time, he was still the boyish teen with a lanky body to match his tall height. Now, the essence of a man was there, the maturity of his physique that resulted from his training over the years. But inside, Jihoon knew, the boy who dreamed of being a basketball player was still there. The boy who promised him the world underneath California stars on December night. This was still his Guanlin.

 

No amount of distance could change that. “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jihoon wakes up the sigh of Guanlin sleeping beside him. He was always the first one to get up in the morning, having the privilege to see Guanlin’s sleeping figure. The sun was already out, but Guanlin always likes sleeping in during his breaks. Jihoon starts shifting on the bed, trying to get up when Guanlin locks him in a tight embrace. “Sleep some more,” he mumbles.

 

“I’m not sleepy anymore, Guanlin,” Jihoon lets out an airy laugh.

 

“Stay here,” he tells him. “I want to hold you more.”

And so, they stay like that for a while, listening to the ambient sound of the heater and the early morning rush from the outside. Their bodies are close, almost entwined and he cherishes in the warmth that comes with it. To the world, Guanlin was a prodigy, a legend waiting to be born as he makes his way to the top. But to Jihoon, he was big doe eyes, a smile so warm, and the boy he loved for as long as understood what love was supposed to be.

 

He closes his eyes again and hopes that time would go a little slower that day. He wishes that he could have Guanlin like this a little longer before they were off on separate worlds again, chasing dreams and soaring high as stars in different galaxies.

 

* * *

 

 

Roars echo throughout the stadium. Thousands upon thousands of football fans gather inside the venue to witness the first game of the quarterfinals. Lucas Wong was now in the starting lineup, taking the position of the striker. Both teams lined up for the opening, Lucas giving Jihoon a nervous look.

 

“Hey, if I screw up today,” Lucas starts, but Jihoon cuts him off immediately.

 

“You’re not going to screw it up” Jihoon tells him firmly. “You got this, Xuxi”

 

The worried look fades from Lucas’s features and a smile was now replaced. “Yeah, okay” he says.

 

“Trust me,” Jihoon pats his back lightly as they make their way outside the stadium.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Can you guess which team Jihoon is in and which midfielder inspired me to make his position as such?  
> I don't really have a prize, but it would be cool if you guys guessed it right. LMAO
> 
> Hmu if u know or want
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/parkjillegal) | [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/Undenanable)


End file.
